Random Thursday

In this next installment of Weird But True by Leslie Gilbert Elman, we learn a little more about animals and weirdness within and then at the end we transition into currency! Should be interesting!

(image borrowed from WWF)

Hippopotamuses are one of the most lethal mammals on earth. They're large and aggressive and can weigh between 3-5 tons!

I can't help but feel like the hippo in this picture is thinking at the photographer: "Go ahead, punk, make. My. Day." He doesn't look too pleased to have his picture taken that's for sure! Lol!

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

A hippo's sweat looks like blood because it contains red and orange pigments. These coloring agents act as a sunscreen to help protect their skin from burning from the harsh African sun. The red pigment also acts as an antibiotic that helps to heal wounds that likely occur from in-fighting.

I never knew that!

(image borrowed from WWF)

Animals such as pigs, warthogs, elephants, and rhinoceroses can get sunburn easily. To protect their skin, these animals will roll in mud or toss dust on themselves.

The elephants' behavior at the zoo suddenly makes so much sense! I just thought he liked dirt as a kid! LOL!

(image borrowed from BankNotes.com)

The hippo is depicted on the fifty-franc banknote from Burundi, an African nation, and the two-emalageni banknote from Swaziland.

FUN FACT: Other countries that have a hippo on their banknote include: Mozambique, Nepal, South Africa, and Tanzania.

I imagine finding the hippos on these notes will be like a seek-and-find! Took a bit of squinting before I caught onto him in the note above!

(image borrowed from Wikiversity)

Out of all the US currency, the 5-dollar bill has the shortest lifespan in circulation, which is 16 months. 10-dollar bills get 18 months and 1-dollar bills get 21 months.

Apparently the bank must have missed the $5 I got a month ago because that sucker was sooo dilapidated! I felt like if you picked it up wrong it would rip in half!